Conditions force dad to sleep in bathroom
BALDEV MAHEY DESCRIBES FLAT RIDDLED WITH MOULD AND DAMP
A MAN has been forced to sleep on his bathroom floor for the past seven years because his bedroom is riddled with mould and damp.
Baldev Mahey, 51, from Ealing, sleeps on two sofa cushions next to the toilet as conditions in the bedroom make it impossible to breathe.
The devastating impact on his physical and mental health even means he has considered taking his own life in the past.
Baldev has spina bifida, a condition whereby a gap in the spine causes, among other symptoms, weak limbs, which has been made worse by his sleeping arrangements. He said the housing disrepair also led to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an inflammatory lung disease caused by breathing in the mould and damp over a prolonged period of time.
He said he visits his GP “nearly once a month” due to the ongoing health conditions. The property is owned by a housing association, but they have not yet been able to offer him housing that is suitable for him and his adult son.
Baldev, who has lived in the property for 22 years, said: “It feels like I’m being poisoned by the property. It’s so poorly ventilated, I feel like I can’t breathe. The blinds in the bedroom are all sticky and mouldy. It feels like that’s what has happened to my lungs and my skin. It’s impossible to sleep in the bedroom because of the smell.
“Because I’ve been here for such a long time it’s affected my skin, it dries up. It feels like my body is dried up inside. So I drink so much water. But then every time I sleep I vomit a lot of water out.”
Baldev added that he has to buy new clothes frequently because the damp smell means even when he washes his clothes, “the damp smell doesn’t go away”.
He said he feels “forgotten by society”, with, aside from his physical symptoms, the housing disrepair having a huge effect on his mental health.
Baldev, whose birthday is on March 1, said he has not celebrated it for at least 10 years because of his mental health struggles.
“I’ve lost all my friends because of my property – they don’t want to come round because they think they might get ill. It’s the damp smell. They don’t want to come here,” he said.
Baldev said he wrote a letter on his mirror explaining the impact the house has had on him “just in case something happens to [him]”. He said he has been “so fed up” that in the past he considered taking his own life.
“You can’t wait for the next day, because you can’t wait for that one day to go past. You wait for the next day and the next day, waiting for it to end,” he said.
Baldev has a 22-year-old son who lives with him – but on occasion has slept in London parks or at friends’ houses because he is “scared to live here” after seeing how ill his father got.
The property is managed by Ealing Catalyst Housing – who offered Baldev a new, one-bedroom property. However, he refused, saying it was “not suitable” given his son lives with and cares for him at home.
Since MyLondon contacted Ealing Catalyst Housing, they have been in touch with Baldev again. A spokesman for Catalyst said: “We are sorry for the current conditions in Mr Mahey’s flat and totally agree this is not acceptable.
“We are regularly in touch with Mr Mahey and have recently offered him an urgent transfer to another one-bedroom home, in line with our approach of offering customers alternative accommodation of a similar size.
“However, he has asked for a home with two bedrooms and we will be discussing this option with him further.”
I’ve lost all my friends because of my property – they don’t want to come round because they think they might get ill. Baldev Mahey